In consultation with the director of admissions and the Office of University Planning and Analysis, individual schools and colleges may establish additional and more rigorous standards and processes for admission than the standards for the University as a whole. This practice helps maintain appropriate enrollment levels in popular curricula and ensures admission of students appropriately qualified for special programs. The School of Design, for example, requires individual interviews and portfolio reviews before accepting applicants, and the Department of Mathematics requires a math SAT score of 600 or better.
Undergraduate enrollment at the University is currently approximately 19,000. Over 10,500 freshman and 4,500 transfer applications are received each year. In the fall semester, there are usually 3,100 to 3,250 spaces available for new freshmen and 1,250 spaces available for transfer students. In the spring semester, there are usually 50 to 100 spaces available for new freshmen and 300 to 500 spaces available for transfer students.
Admissions policy at NCSU is explicitly related to the educational purposes of the University. Prospective students apply to one of the eighty-nine undergraduate degree programs (majors) offered in the nine undergraduate colleges or schools or to the University Undesignated Program in the Division of Undergraduate Studies [4.1.1.4; 4.1.1.23]. Applicants may list their first and second choice of program.
Alternatively, applicants may seek admission to a college or school without declaring a specific major within that unit. Each college and school has enrollment goals, and admission requirements vary, both for freshmen and transfers. Admissions literature makes clear that some degree programs are more difficult to get into than others [4.1.1.23].
Many of the degree programs at NCSU are very popular and have more competitive requirements for admission. By indicating two or three choices of majors, students can be considered in several areas. Students may change their major after one or two semesters at NCSU if their grades are adequate and if space is available in their chosen major (NCSU Bulletin, Admissions Information, p. 14).
The other program accepting freshmen who are not ready to declare a major is the University Transition Program. This program provides maximum opportunity for selected minority students to achieve academic success during their first two years at NCSU. Enrolling approximately sixty-five new students each year, the program consists of three components: the Summer Program, conducted for new students during the second summer session prior to their freshman year; the College Transition Program, which runs during the first and second semesters of the first year; and Follow-On programs for students who do not meet admission requirements for the college of their choice at the end of their freshman year. Continual one-on-one communication between academic advisors and students is the common element in each component.
Students admitted to the University Transition Program generally have lower SAT scores (845 as opposed to the average of 1071 for all entering freshman) and lower high school grade point averages (2.65 as opposed to 3.53 for all freshman) (1993 data, Office of University Planning and Analysis). Students newly accepted into the University Transition Program are required to enroll in two courses during the second summer session before the beginning of their freshman year and to take a one-credit-hour course that focuses on study skills, personal development, and other areas important for college success. Academic advising, personal counseling, and tutorial assistance are provided. Students in the University Transition program must declare a major no later than their fifth semester at the University.
NCSU's policy of admitting most students to specific majors or colleges or schools is highly advantageous for students with clear professional or disciplinary commitments who are able to gain admission to their first choice of college or department. These students have access to advisors who are knowledgeable in their disciplines and may enroll immediately in courses leading to their degreea special advantage in highly structured technical curricula.
For approximately one-half of NCSU's student body, however, this policy frequently leads to problems. Although many eighteen-year-olds are not certain what they want to study, the admissions process leads them to believe that NCSU expects them to have decided on a major at the time of application. The Self-Study Survey of Undergraduate Students found that only 57 percent of respondents were certain about their majors; 35 percent were not certain. This latter group may soon decide they want to change majors. And indeed, approximately 50 percent of undergraduates at NCSU do change majors at least once, though they have a difficult time doing so if they do not do well in their first year or two at the University.
Changing majors is especially common among students who were not admitted to NCSU into their first-choice majors. Comprising at least 25 percent of each freshman class of approximately 3,250 students, those who are admitted to their second choice of major begin their University experience dissatisfied with at least this aspect of the admissions process. Although some of these students remain in the major programs to which they are admitted, faculty experience suggests that many enter the University intending to change majors as soon as they can establish good academic records. Because they plan to major in a discipline or program other than the one to which they have been admitted, they are known as "phantom majors" in the departments or colleges in which they are formally enrolled.
Phantom majors pose special challenges to academic advisors, who are faculty or staff in the department or college in which the student is formally enrolled. If a student wishes to transfer to a first-choice curriculum and graduate in a reasonable time, the student must take courses appropriate to the student's intended major, not the current major. At the same time, the student must resist taking courses required in the current major.
Because advisors of phantom majors may not be familiar with the curricula offered in the student's intended college or department, they sometimes feel unqualified to help with course selection or other choices in the student's intended major and are frustrated at the student's (necessary) resistance to taking courses as specified by the student's current major. Students who begin in one curriculum and who do transfer to another can find themselves delayed in completing requirements for graduation because in their new degree program they are faced with new curricular requirements. Both these factors can contribute significantly to students' taking more than four years to graduate.
Of course there will always be students who decide to change majors, but the problem is compounded by NCSU's admissions policy of requiring most students who seek admission to declare a major rather than letting them begin with a general curriculum, get advice about making an informed choice, and narrow their focus after they have had a chance to become accustomed to university life and take advantage of institutional resources for helping them develop a clear sense of professional, vocational, or personal direction.
In addition, by encouraging students to select a first or second choice of major upon admission, the current admissions process may discourage some students from applying to NCSU who have outstanding high school records and who would be excellent students at NCSU. Students who have not decided on a major may well feel that NCSU is not for them unless they already have a made a strong commitment to one particular academic discipline.
Recommendation 5.1: NCSU should review its recruiting and admissions material to ensure that NCSU's admissions procedures encourage all qualified students to seek admission.
Although approximately 200 students (out of an entering class of 3,250) may be admitted to NCSU through the University Undesignated Program without declaring a major, the relatively small size of this program neither meets the demand for alternative methods of admission nor removes completely the sense that there is something irregular about this process of admission. The name "undesignated" implies that there is something missing for these students. Establishing an alternative and more positive name for this program and expanding it to accommodate a larger number of incoming students would address some of the negative consequences of NCSU's current admissions process. Revival of the historic NCSU name "School (or College) of General Studies" has been proposed.
NCSU should continue to admit qualified students with strong disciplinary commitments directly to their first-choice school or college. Changing this policy would be detrimental to students who are pursuing degrees in highly structured technical curricula and who need to begin the sequence of courses in their major as soon as possible. But qualified students who do not wish to designate a major on admission should also be encouraged to apply for admission. The policy of encouraging students to designate a second choice of major should be reviewed.
The gradual and controlled expansion of the University Undesignated Program into a reasonably sized general college, with a different and more positive name, would seem an appropriate development. The University has made a step in that direction within the college structure by admitting students as undesignated majors within designated colleges. Experience with advising in the University Undesignated Program suggests that teachers and advisors can be properly trained to advise across the curriculum and help even more students explore their interests and aptitudes, supporting them in making appropriate choices of majors.
Substantial expansion of a general college program at NCSU would represent a major departure from current practice and thus is at present highly controversial. It does, however, merit careful, in-depth study of potential benefits or consequences for the University.
Recommendation 5.2: NCSU should expand opportunities for students who are not ready to declare a major upon admission.
Recommendation 5.3: NCSU should explore alternatives to its current practice of admitting almost all students to specific schools or colleges. NCSU should conduct an in-depth study of the effects of expanding the University Undesignated Program into a general college as one such alternative.
The Undergraduate Catalog describes the following procedure for intra-campus transfer: "A student who has attempted fewer than twelve credit hours at NCSU may transfer to another curriculum provided that student meets the admission requirements of the intended new curriculum. A student who has attempted twelve or more credit hours at NCSU may transfer to another curriculum provided that student is eligible to do so under the intra-campus transfer policy which pertains to the intended curriculum" (p. 67). For more information, students must see their advisors or the dean's office of the school into which they wish to transfer.
Advisors can find intra-campus transfer information in the Advisers' Handbook, a publication of the Provost's Office that is distributed to all advisors. On pp. 50-52, the Advisers' Handbook lists requirements for grade point average and course completion for transfer into various majors. Some curricula require transferring students to have GPAs higher than 2.4. In such situations, a student who wishes to transfer may be in good academic standing with the University and in fact have a higher average than many students in the college to which he or she wants to transfer yet may be inadmissible to that college. This can frustrate students and may result in the clustering of students in second-choice curricula and delays in graduation.
This issue may not have an easy solution. Student interest in particular curricula changes over time, and this year's overcrowded major may next year have vacancies. Furthermore, though student demand may be fluid, faculty positions are not. Thus, limitations of resources and faculty may mean that the University must limit enrollment in some curricula. Nevertheless, this subject deserves careful institutional analysis and review.
Recommendation 5.4: NCSU should provide a system of internal transfer that is rational, equitable, and flexible, yet consistent with goals of academic excellence and practical limits on internal reallocation of resources.
The Office of Undergraduate Admissions publishes the following informational brochures: NCSU Admissions Information, NCSU Transfer Students, and Lifelong Education: A Springboard for Undergraduate Admission [4.1.1.1; 4.1.1.23]. Admissions literature is distributed to high school students by admissions officers attending College Day programs, through direct mail at the request of students, to visiting prospective students, and to students who have been identified as academically talented and whom the University seeks actively to recruit. Approximately 55,000 packets of literature are distributed in this manner each year.
The Office of Undergraduate Admissions distributes transfer information at College Day programs in junior and community colleges, by direct mail at prospective students' request, to visiting prospective students, and to community college students in college-transfer programs. The office distributes Lifelong Education information at public forums, at corporate employers' Education Days, and through direct mail at prospective students' request. The Catalog is distributed through the University Bookstore, by the Admissions Office, by Lifelong Education, and by general distribution to every new student upon enrollment. The Advisers' Handbook, a compendium of information about curricular requirements, academic policies, and educational support services, is given to faculty advisors, and students can reference material in it when they meet with their advisors.
NCSU is committed to racial, ethnic, and cultural diversity, to the accessibility of its programs for all qualified students, and to the academic success of all students who are admitted. To achieve these goals, special recruiting activities target minority students, especially African-American students. Each fall the Office of Undergraduate Admissions holds a special on-campus event to which it invites approximately 800 African-American students identified by Student Search, a service of the Educational Testing Service, as academically talented. This event, which highlights academic programs and cultural activities at NCSU, attracts approximately 100 students. African-American students who have been accepted by the University (and may or may not have decided to enroll) are also invited to a special spring event so that they will have an opportunity to see the campus and hear more about the University's academic, cultural, and social programs. In addition to the efforts of the Office of Undergraduate Admissions, the colleges and schools sponsor recruiting activities, some of which focus on minorities. For example, the Colleges of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Veterinary Medicine, and Engineering have summer research-apprentice programs or camps designed to interest minority high school students in careers in science.
Through active recruitment, NCSU has achieved some success in promoting enrollment of African-American students. NCSU consistently ranks at or near the top in nationwide measures of the number of African-American high school students who designate NCSU as a traditionally white campus to which their SAT scores should be sent. Erlene B. Wilson's 1993 study, The 100 Best Colleges for African-American Students, listed NCSU among the 100 best colleges for African-American students. NCSU was the only institution of higher education, traditionally black or white, in North Carolina so listed.
Nevertheless, evidence suggests that the University is a long way from resolving the complex issues posed by its goal of cultural diversity and academic access for all qualified students. Although high numbers of African-American students apply to NCSU, the number who actually enroll rarely exceeds 10 percent of the student body. One factor that contributes to this is the large number and diversity of educational opportunities for African-American students in the state of North Carolina. The Raleigh area, for example, offers both public and private colleges and universities that are traditionally for African-Americans, as well as both public and private traditionally white colleges and universities that also seek a more diverse student body.
Campus experience of diversity may also be a factor. In the Self-Study Survey of Undergraduate Students conducted in fall 1992, 96 percent of nonwhite students and 79 percent of white students at NCSU responded that cultural diversity was very important, but only 44 percent of the nonwhite students and 53 percent of the white students thought that the University environment provided cultural diversity.
On the same survey, 76 percent of undergraduates surveyed agreed or strongly agreed that admissions material was accurate [4.1.1.3]. Despite high overall satisfaction, a lower percentage of nonwhite students than of white students reported that the recruiting material was accurate (65 percent of nonwhites versus 78 percent of whites). Also, although nonwhite and white students were equally certain of their choice of major upon admission, only 65 percent of nonwhite students compared to 84 percent of white students were admitted into their first choice of major. Such data suggest that further study is necessary to ensure that NCSU's admissions process promotes institutional accessibility for all cultural, racial, and ethnic groups.
In addition, when the Office of Undergraduate Admissions has surveyed African-American students who are accepted by NCSU yet do not attend, respondents have said that a major reason for their attending other institutions was more substantial offers of financial aid. NCSU does have some financial aid designated for minority recipients, but more aid clearly would enhance NCSU's attractiveness to minority students.
Recommendation 5.5: NCSU should review all aspects of its admissions and orientation processes to promote achievement of University goals for enhancing cultural diversity within the University community, enhancing institutional accessibility for all qualified applicants, and promoting academic success for all admitted students.Recommendation 5.6: NCSU should promote the diversity of the student body by expanding recruiting efforts and by increasing the number of financial aid awards to minority students.
Though they are not part of the regular, systematic review process, other groups occasionally make recommendations on admissions policies. These groups include the Provost's Coordinating Committee, the Council on Undergraduate Education, the Faculty Senate, and the Enrollment Planning Committee. For example, in 1991 the Council on Undergraduate Education recommended that all graduating NCSU students be required to show foreign language proficiency at the 102 level, and that to be admitted as freshmen, students must show two years of the same foreign language on their high school transcripts. That admissions requirement will go into effect in fall 1994.
A second example is the Undergraduate Admissions Committee's recommendation to the Faculty Senate that the University adopt a contractual readmission policy. Under this policy, students who are suspended for academic difficulties may reenter the University after three years with a contract between the student and the dean of the college in which the student was enrolled. The contract specifies that the student must maintain a grade point average of 2.0 or better after readmission. Graduation requirements are calculated using only "C" or better work before the suspension plus work completed after readmission.
English - four yearsSocial Studies - two years, including one year of U.S. history
Mathematics - three years, including Algebra I, Algebra II, and geometry or a third math for which Algebra II is a prerequisite
Science - three years, including one year of life or biological science and 1 year of a physical science; one must be a laboratory course
Foreign Language - two years recommended (will be required beginning fall 1994)
Additional academic electives for a total of twenty academic units
Admissions publications recommend that prospective students take a mathematics course and a foreign language in their senior year. The University does not accept experience in lieu of the high school diploma or GED [4.1.1.12 n/a].
Most students admitted to NCSU in the last few years have more than the minimum admissions requirements. In fact, in recent years, nearly half of the entering freshman class have been awarded one or more hours of Advanced Placement credit for work done in high school. The large numbers of students who are not admitted to their first choice majors suggests, however, that published admissions standards do not adequately reflect the actual quality and level of high school work required for a reasonable level of success in many of NCSU's undergraduate programs.
Thus, many students arrive at NCSU inadequately prepared for the rigors of freshman-level academic work. Applicants to NCSU who do not have precalculus in high school are at a disadvantage in the admissions process and may not be ready for the level of mathematics expected during the freshman year for majors in many of the scientific or technical disciplines. Similarly, many students find their scientific background has not been at a level of rigor necessary for success in NCSU's basic science courses.
Recommendation 5.7: NCSU should communicate to potential students through all appropriate means, including its recruitment and admissions literature, that the high school curricula of successful applicants to NCSU must include appropriate preparation in science and mathematics, including precalculus for students planning to specialize in technical curricula.
In addition, applicants with SAT verbal scores of 500 or below (over half the incoming freshman class in the past year), should be aware that they will require an additional semester of freshman composition to prepare them for college-level writing. Finally, the applicants and their high school guidance personnel need to be made aware of NCSU's new foreign-language requirement, which marks a new aspect of admissions and graduation requirements. Under this requirement, students will be required to demonstrate high school preparation in a foreign language equal to a year of study at NCSU for admission. NCSU should make it clear to students seeking admission that those who do not meet the standard of proficiency will need to achieve it by taking additional courses, and that these courses will not count toward graduation.
Recommendation 5.8: NCSU should communicate to potential students through all appropriate means, including its recruitment and admissions literature, that the high school curricula of successful applicants to NCSU must include appropriate preparation in English and foreign languages.
The high standard deviation in the AI, and the limited range of variables it considers have caused some concern, especially for its potential effect on NCSU's stated goal of diversity in the composition of the student body. For example, although the current formula includes gender as a variable, it excludes ethnicity, since ethnicity has not been found to be a statistically significant factor. This invites the question of whether a better predictor for minority students, especially African-Americans and Native Americans, might be available or developed. In addition, the usefulness of college-specific admissions formulas and formulas that incorporate actual GPAs past the freshman year should be considered.
Recommendation 5.9: NCSU should investigate a range of admissions formulas to determine which formula or formulas might be the most accurate predictor of success for diverse populations of potential students.
The AI is used as a tool to rank applicants, but because of the large standard deviation, it is not the only measure for establishing relative strength of an applicant versus other applicants. For students who are borderline, other qualitative variables include the strength of the high school record (difficulty of courses taken), extracurricular activities, leadership roles the student has assumed, and an essay. In addition, the judgment of the professional admissions staff is essential [4.1.1.5].
The AI requirements for freshmen and GPA requirements for transfer admission to majors are set by individual college deans, in consultation with the director of admissions and the Office of University Planning and Analysis. Factors taken into consideration in setting requirements include rigor of degree programs, numbers of students seeking admission in the college, enrollment projections, and available spaces based on current enrollment [4.1.1.7; 4.1.1.8]. Each college has a target number of freshman and transfer students and can project the number of students that can be accepted to yield that target based on previous years' numbers of acceptances and students who matriculate. There is no provisional undergraduate admission.
Academic support programs include the Undergraduate Studies Tutorial Center. This tutorial center offers free tutoring in most 100- and 200-level math, chemistry, physics, computer science, foreign language, English, economics, and 300-level statistics courses. The center helps between 800 and 1,100 students each semester. It provides two kinds of tutoring service: weekly one-on-one tutoring and sign-up tutoring (sign up only when help is needed). The center also provides supplemental instruction for selected sections of math, chemistry, and physics; three hours of help are offered each week for students enrolled in those sections.
Other tutorial programs are administered by individual departments. These include the Accounting Lab, Biology Learning Center, Chemistry Tutorials, English Tutorials, Mathematics AV Center, and the Physics Instructional Center. All of these programs provide assistance at no cost to students. Restricted groups of students can find help in such programs as the Engineering Tutorial Program, the College of Forest Resources Tutorial Program, Minority Help Sessions, the Handicapped and Learning Disabled Service, and the Program of Academic Support for Student Athletes.
The University also offers a limited number of developmental courses that do not fulfill graduation requirements. Students are required to take one or more of these courses based on standardized test scores (SAT, ACT, achievement tests) and predictive academic performance (AI). These courses include English 110-Developmental English; Mathematics 101-Intermediate Algebra; and ECI 105-Reading and Learning Strategies for Academic Performance.
Transfer students are admitted into one of the colleges or schools of the University, a process coordinated by the Office of Undergraduate Admissions. Every accepted transfer student receives a certificate of advanced-credit standing, a document prepared by the college or school housing the major in which the student is accepted [4.1.1.15]. The certificate of advanced-credit standing outlines all of the courses that have been accepted for transfer credit and the equivalent NCSU course for which the student is receiving credit. Students receive this document before they enroll. Transfer credit is awarded only from accredited institutions and only for courses that have an NCSU equivalent that is relevant to the student's degree program [4.1.1.16; 4.1.1.17].
North Carolina community college transfer courses have been evaluated for transfer to the University, and equivalency lists for each course are available to the community colleges and to individual students [4.1.1.17]. Foreign institution credit is awarded on an individual basis, using information from the World Education Review, published by the International Education Activities Group of the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers [4.1.1.18]. University Planning and Analysis collects data on the success of transfer students and provides the feeder institutions with this information.
Freshmen and transfer students can receive University credit by advanced placement or other exams. The placement brochure and the Advisers' Handbook outline specific credit and placement opportunities. Credit by examination is described in the Undergraduate Catalog and the Advisers' Handbook. CLEP credit is also described in a separate booklet available through the Registrar's Office [4.1.1.16]. No credit is awarded for experiential learning [4.1.1.16].
Admission to the Agricultural Institute is administered by the Office of Undergraduate Admissions. Graduation from an accredited high school or the equivalent and one letter of recommendation are required. Applications are considered on a first-come basis, and students are admitted as long as space is available.
A student who wishes to transfer from an associate-degree program to one of the University's baccalaureate-degree programs must apply to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions and meet all of the regular University admissions requirements. Only physical education courses transfer from the associate-degree programs to the baccalaureate programs.
The self-study survey of students and faculty supports the conclusion that the advising system at NCSU works reasonably well. Just over 72 percent of respondents in the survey of undergraduates indicated satisfaction or strong satisfaction with the overall quality of advising. Career advising did not receive as high a positive rating (50.8 percent positive). The only negative judgments were advisors' awareness of nonacademic support services (38.4 percent positive rating) and advisors' helpfulness with changing majors (41.4 percent positive rating).
Faculty survey results mirror student results. Faculty believe they are effective in advising students in their disciplines (64 percent affirmative responses), but are most concerned about their knowledge (or lack of knowledge) concerning support services the University provides (only 28.3 percent affirmative), and their ability to advise students wishing to change to other majors (only 50 percent affirmative).
Nevertheless, there is broad concern expressed in responses to open-ended questions that advising remains an area in which the University needs to do a better job. If only 72 percent of students believe they are well- advised, then 28 percent believe they are not, a significant number for a campus the size of NCSU's, with major consequences for other issues of broad concern such as graduation rates and student attrition.
During the chancellor's fall 1992 retreat with senior administrators, advising was singled out as the focus of a significant new initiative to enhance quality of service across the campus. This initiative has begun pilot projects in several departments to enhance the quality of advising and the recognition for good advising, and to monitor the results. This initiative should have positive consequences for advising in all departments as the lessons learned from it become widely distributed.
The following GPA requirements apply to students who entered the University before summer 1990, and will remain in effect until fall 1994.
Credit hours completed Required GPA---------------------- -------------- 1-27 no requirement
28-59 1.25
60-91 1.55
92-123 1.75
124 or more 1.95
The following GPA requirements apply to students who entered the University after the summer of 1990, and will apply to all other students beginning with fall semester 1994:
Credit hours attempted at Minimum required cumulative NCSU plus credit hours grade point average on all transferred courses taken at NCSUAll students are subject to the same readmission policies [4.1.1.21]. Students who are suspended must bring their GPA up to the level required for progress toward graduation [4.1.1.20]. Improvement may be made by attending summer school at the University, by taking NCSU courses through independent studies, or by taking NCSU courses through the Office of Instructional Telecommunications. When the student's GPA has risen above the suspension limits indicated above, the student becomes automatically eligible for readmission to a regular semester.------------------------- -------------------------- 1-35 1.5
36-47 1.6
48-59 1.7
60-71 1.8
72-83 1.9
84 or more 2.0
An academically suspended student who does not meet the stated standards for automatic readmission may appeal to the University Admissions Committee for readmission to a regular semester. The student must write a letter to the committee stating the reasons for the academic difficulty and describing the extenuating circumstances that contributed to the suspension. The letter must also explain why the student now expects to be able to complete a degree program successfully, and must include supporting documents, such as summer-session grades. The appeals process is described fully in the Student Handbook, Advisers' Handbook, and the Undergraduate Catalog.
If a suspended student has not enrolled for a minimum of three years, the University Admissions Committee can recommend a contractual readmission. A contractual readmission establishes a contract between the student and the dean of the student's college of enrollment. That contract outlines the student's plan of study and required grades on work following readmission.
